Jesus, there is no doubt, enjoyed hospitality. He often visited the house at Bethany, the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. These sisters tell about Lazarus to Jesus as, ‘the one you love.’ Martha seems to be outgoing, and Mary is calm and confined to her house. Jesus loved them. As one who had ‘nowhere to lay his head’ (Matthew 8:20), Jesus relied on the hospitality of others for food, shelter, and rest. So, when Jesus said Mary has chosen “the better part” needs to be taken in the context of the lesson on discipleship.
The visit to Martha and Mary is placed within the section on “journey to Jerusalem,” and very often during this journey we hear about the importance of listening and obeying the Word of God (Luke 8:21, 11:28). Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus is a posture signifying attentive listening to the teacher.
During the time of Jesus, the disciples would sit at the feet of their Rabbi to learn, memorize, and model themselves after their master’s interpretation of the Torah. However, these Rabbinic schools were usually only for men. Women were expected to stay in the home and focus on domestic tasks, according to the strict social rules of the day. Direct, in-depth, and itinerant discipleship with a rabbi was not considered an appropriate role for them.
In Luke, it is very significant that there were women accompanying, following, and ministering to him, and many of these women are personally named, granting them individual identities and acknowledging their unique, active contributions in a context women’s existence or contribution was frequently unacknowledged, and their status largely defined by the male head of the household.
Sitting at the Lord’s feet, there is not an affectionate attachment or a filial devotion. It is a gesture of active listening to a master. This radical act signifying her desire for direct instruction also justifies women’s active engagement and spiritual leadership within the early Christian movement. The “better part” Mary chose is available to anyone who decides to make it a priority.
Now, let’s look at Martha. Hospitality was highly valued in ancient Mediterranean culture. We see Abraham serving three unknown men at his home, not knowing who they were. The Jewish law also called for the ethical responsibility of welcoming and serving others, even strangers. Early Christian communities were characterized by strong communal bonds, shared meals, and mutual care and service. Some may have become overly preoccupied or even burdened by the tasks of caring for the poor, widows, and orphans, even being deprived of the sharing of the word and breaking of the bread.
Jesus’ affirmation of Mary’s choice is not a condemnation of service. It is a call for focusing on the primary relationship with Christ and his teaching. If service became merely a task-oriented activity without spiritual grounding, it risked becoming fruitless or leading to burnout. Even good and necessary activities can be sources of anxiety and distraction. It can be true of any form of ministry including preaching, teaching, healing, and service. Mary’s choice teaches us that being with the Lord is the source from which all our service should flow.
Listening to the Lord, the ‘better part’ Mary chose, is essential for authentic service i.e. Martha's task. Being ‘at the feet’ of Jesus should never be seen as a passive piety that avoids action. That is not what Jesus lived and taught. For Jesus, producing good fruits was the real sign of choosing the better part. Even according to the Old Testament teachings, keeping of the law was not merely a set of ritualistic observances; a covenant living was meant to live justice, compassion, and care for the vulnerable. Jesus related the meaning of true discipleship to concrete actions of love towards one’s neighbour. Any spiritual approach that focuses only on comfortable devotion without emphasizing the importance of “producing fruits” or “keeping the Word” risks becoming self-centered and disconnected from the real world.
Some spiritual teachings view the ‘one thing necessary’ is to do only ‘spiritual’ things. These passive, pious attitudes that show no interest in action or service, or that condemning them all as worldly or social is a common spiritual pathology. This hyper-spiritualized faith detaches itself from the concrete realities of human suffering and injustice. They are like soil without enough depth for roots. True spirituality, therefore, cannot be disembodied or separate from the physical and social dimensions of life. Listening to the Word of God and keeping it is about discerning and participating in the active work for justice, peace, and consolation for human conditions.
If we reflect on Jesus’ statement that “I feel compassion for them, they may fall on the way,” is an example of compassionate listening where service becomes eucharistic and revelatory. Direct engagement with the lived realities of others, especially those who are among the least and neglected, cannot be simply an application of a pre-understood divine word, but an encounter that shapes and deepens our understanding of the Word. When we actually serve, we are confronted with the ‘scripure’ of human suffering, joy, injustice, and resilience. This lived ‘text’ merges with the written Scripture, and become new episodes that God speaks to us. In this sense, service is not just an act of charity, but an act of deep listening to the voices that often go unheard in dominant theological or moral discourses. Service, in this context, is the environment in which our understanding of God, justice, and salvation is shaped. True service often requires vulnerability, where we are open to the unexpected, that new revelations about God, humanity, and ourselves occur. This radical openness is a form of deep listening, allowing the ‘other’ (whether a person, a community, or a situation) to speak to us in ways that passive listening might not.
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